"Grit, Guts, & Guitars" presents great moments from Marcus Singletary's deep dive into various forms of popular music. The grit is the edgy sound he gets, regardless of the setting. His strange yet distinctive stylistic combinations equal the guts, and his guitar firestorms are the icing on a cake that offers up a fresh blend of atypical ingredients.
"Get the Dance Gene" and "Greenstone Pala" are straight-ahead rockers cut in top-level L.A. recording studios. "Here in the U.S.A., You Found Your Way" and "Whango Mango" originate from Singletary's own studio, and both are based upon Americana and country music structures.
The anthemic tune "My Planet" kicks off the collection with a marriage of light observation and heavier minor-key overtones. The rollicking escapist fantasy "Genovia" is another example of the approach, as slamming drums and soaring guitar riffs add density and depth to what is, essentially, a simple love song.
Likewise, the fun and upbeat groove of "Life Was Never Better Than it is Right Now" sits alongside "Streets of San Diego" - a no holds barred depiction of a drug dealer's life and death at the US-Mexico border, the inquisitive melancholia of "Say, Can You See" shares space with "(I Don't Need Your) Permission"'s outward anti-bullying stance, and so on.
"I was inspired by the band Iron Butterfly, and the contradictions in their name and their music," Singletary says. "The metallic, impenetrable nature of iron merged with the frivolity and playfulness of a butterfly. A similar mashup of seemingly opposite sensibilities also occurs within my creations."
Singletary finds influence within psychedelic jams, Southern rock, and classic jazz. "I've seen a ton of concerts in my lifetime, including 18 by the Black Crowes, eight by the Allman Brothers, and five by Phish," he states. "The very first rock show I ever witnessed featured Jimmy Page, and the first two live gigs I ever attended were performed by Jimmy Smith and Kenny Burrell. These experiences were the absolute foundation of my musical development."